


Alpenglow

by LevelSetPower



Series: Summit Fever Series [2]
Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: But can be read alone, Fluff, M/M, Oneshot, Self-Indulgent, Summit Fever Epilogue, They have just climbed Mt Everest, baths, that's the context
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:15:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24605308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LevelSetPower/pseuds/LevelSetPower
Summary: Epilogue to Summit Fever but can be read alone!Alpenglow, n: the rosy light of the setting or rising sun seen on high mountains.The fluffy epilogue I promised, just Jongsang hanging out and cuddling (in a bath!)
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Kang Yeosang
Series: Summit Fever Series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1778674
Comments: 14
Kudos: 91





	Alpenglow

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, campers!
> 
> So, I promised a fluffier, more self-indulgent epilogue, and here it is! You don't have to have read Summit Fever to get or enjoy this oneshot, but just know that Yeosang and Jongho have climbed Mt Everest. But you can also ignore that and just skip to the fluff if you like! 
> 
> TW: mentions of frostbite (briefly!)
> 
> My Twitter is [@yeosangfroid](https://twitter.com/yeosangfroid), so hit me up there or on [CuriousCat!](https://curiouscat.me/yeosangfroid)
> 
> Thanks so much!

_Alpenglow, n:_ _the rosy light of the setting or rising sun seen on high mountains._

* * *

Yeosang had always been a bath man. 

Who wouldn't be? You set up some candles, some essential oils, an ambiance, and just relax. You don’t even have to put effort into keeping your limbs up. Get on a Lori Beats To Study and Relax To playlist, evening = made. 

But the bath after the climb was without a doubt the best bath Yeosang had ever had the privilege of experiencing.

The team had returned to Kathmandu via another terrifying flight and some less terrifying bus journeys, and Wooyoung was recovering well. He’d gone for a checkup at a hospital in the city for what everyone was now calling _superficial frostbite_ , but he seemed to have not needed it, already feeling much better. His toes had returned to a reassuring tan color, and his mouth, certainly not affected by any kind of adverse weather conditions, hadn’t shut once since they had got back to civilization. He’d been winding tall tales of his achievements on the “glorious beasts, the Himalayas” to cab drivers, waiters, street vendors, really anyone who would listen (and many, _many_ people who wouldn’t.)

They say that climbing Mt Everest is the second-hardest thing in the world. The hardest thing in the world is climbing Mt Everest and not telling anyone about it.

For his part, Yeosang had mostly laid low. He’d relished the ability to just lie on a comfortable hotel, in the warm. It wouldn’t be fair to say he wasn’t happy, or that he was experiencing buyer’s (climber’s?) remorse. He was just exhausted, unable to even consider doing anything other than lying in bed, or a bath, and closing his eyes. 

The expedition had about a week in Kathmandu before their flights back to the US, since they booked the flight before they knew when the summit window would be, accidentally giving them some quality down-time. 

The first night back, Yeosang had slumped into his room, basically a cognisant zombie. He’d had a quick shower, stuffed a curry from room service down his throat, and had leapt into bed and sighed, finally letting himself relax. He wasn’t wearing socks. _He didn’t have to wear socks!_

He let his mind briefly wander to the events of the last two months, how insane it was that he’d literally just gone to the highest point on Earth and was now back, in a normal hotel room, with a normal bed, and a normal phone in his hands, cheerfully reminding him that he was now fully back in the world and had to participate through seemingly endless notifications.

Wooyoung had apparently posted numerous pictures he had taken to Instagram already. Probably from the literal hospital bed where his frostbite was getting checked.

A knock on Yeosang’s door elicited a strangled groan. _How did Wooyoung possibly have the energy to hang out right now?_ Yeosang really just wanted to sleep inside a blanket burrito and speak to precisely zero people for approximately 12 hours. Wooyoung had been saying how he and Yeosang should FaceTime San and show off their fancy Summit Certificates they had received. Yeosang had made a selection of non-committal noises in response, but Wooyoung had clearly not been deterred. Yeosang just hoped his ruffled hair and puffy face said “adventurer” not “dude who should not be associated with”.

Groaning again, Yeosang collected his aching limbs and shuffled over to the door, ignoring the slight pounding in his head. _God he needed sleep…._

“Look, Woo, I’m really wiped, an-” Yeosang began, not looking up because _neck movement is tiring, okay?!_

“Uh, surprise?”

Oh.

Yeosang’s body moved faster than it had in about 10 days at that exact moment, head flipping up to meet a sheepish-looking Jongho standing in the doorway, doing mediocre jazz hands.

He knew his mouth was opening and closing like he was a fucking fish. _Yeosang was perfectly aware of that, thanks._ He just kept blinking, staring at the man in front of him. 

“I know you’re probably exhausted, and I pinky promise I’m not going to make you go and do anything right now, but I thought maybe we could.. Relax? Together?” Jongho sounded unsure.

Yeosang sighed, “If by relax you mean have sex, I think you’re super hot and everything but I don’t even have the energy to give you a sexy facial expression right now so you’d be doing most of the work.” Yeosang knew he sounded drunk, but this was the genuine truth. After all they’d been through his trust of Jongho was more than extensive, but he knew he wouldn’t be an active participant by any means. 

“See? I knew I was right when I called you a pillow princess” Jongho grinned, seeming more like himself. 

Yeosang went to close the door in only a half-jesting protest, but Jongho slipped into the room before he could do so. The sudden movement was too much for Yeosanh’s tired muscles, and he stumbled back a little.

_Of course, of course of course! Because this is a fucking British 90’s rom-com_ , Jongho caught him in his arms and flashed another huge grin.

“Aw, is Sangie tired?” He joked.

“Dude, we literally ascended to the height a plane flies, of course, I’m fucking tired” Yeosang mumbled, wriggling in Jongho’s grasp.

Jongho just grinned again and grabbed Yeosang’s butt, lifting him up, wrapping Yeosang’s legs around his waist, and promoting a not-totally-un-fox-like scream from Yeosang.

“What are you doing oh my god put me down! You must be exhausted too! What the fuck are you doing!?” Yeosang protested, comparatively-crappy spaghetti arms useless against Jongho’s solid, trained, bulk. 

“I’m a pro, baby, and you’re light as a feather” he grinned and jumped backward on the bed so Yeosang was laying on top of him and the pair were face-to-face. 

Jongho met Yeosang’s eyes again and smiled, running a hand through his hair. The gesture was soft and romantic, only broken by his squeezing of Yeosang’s ass approximately 6 seconds later.

“And that, my friends, is worth climbing Everest for” Jongho smiled like the cat who got the cream.

“What happened to vulnerable, blubbering Jongho, huh?” Yeosang rallied, trying to not be affected by Jongho’s ministrations. _It did feel good, though..._

“What, you want _that_ guy to come into your hotel room to try and impress you? Because we can reset and I can go with that gambit, but confident Jongho is probably the more successful option”

“I just want you to be you,” Yeosang smiled. “I just like the you that’s you.”

“I am being me! At least, one side of me; I got facets, babe. I’m like a diamond.” Jongho jested faux-dramatically, moving to run his thumb over Yeosang’s birthmark. He placed a kiss against the pigmented skin and smiled again, softer this time. 

“How about this: I run a bath and we get a little atmosphere going, and just relax?” He proposed, “promise I won’t touch your junk unless you enthusiastically request I do.”

“That sounds amazing,” Yeosang laughed, “I actually take back what I said about not having sex with you.”

“Not in the bath babe, it’ll ruin my long-established ambiance” Jongho declared, removing his arms from around Yeosang and walking to the bathroom. 

Yeosang let his eyes close for a second, just while Jongho was gone…

_Wow, this bed was super comfortable. What threat count were these sheets?_

* * *

All of a sudden, Yeosang felt a jostle and a changing of his position and realized he was being picked up and moved.

“You fell asleep, my dear” Jongho said, seeing Yeosang’s eyes flutter open. The guide was hit with a tidal wave of the other man’s stunning beauty; the delicacy and perfection of his features.

_How did Jongho get so lucky?_

“Oh, shit, sorry. Must have done it without noticing” Yeosang’s words snapped Jongho out of it, and he flashed the sleepy man a smile. 

“Don’t apologize! You just did the one thing on earth that _truly_ excuses falling asleep randomly at seven PM. Just wanted to check if you still wanted the bath or not” he seemed like he was betting on the bath since he’d already picked Yeosang up. _Maybe he just wanted to hold him, though.._

_Thanks, gay brain, nice to have you back._

“Oh! Fuck yeah, strip me now, Choi” Yeosang demanded weakly through his tiredness. Admittedly this is probably not something he would’ve said when he was not drunk on exhaustion, but hey, all bets were now _majorly off._

Yeosang hadn’t imagined, in all his (many, many) times imagining what their first time fully naked together would be like, that it’d be so.. _innocent_ . They were both naked, in the bath that Jongho had lovingly prepared ( _where’d he found that bath bomb?_ Yeosang wondered, and then realized with equal parts glee and slight horror, _that Jongho had brought it himself in readiness for exactly this situation_ ); just sitting with each other. Yeosang’s back was to Jongho’s chest, and the mountain guide was massaging Yeosang’s aching thighs. Jongho had put on some DPR Live in the background and had even lit some candles! _Candles!_

Sighing again, Yeosang let his tension go, and leaned more into Jongho hearing the man sigh himself. Resting his head on Jongho’s shoulder and looking up at him, Yeosang noticed his eyes were closed in what appeared to be relaxation.

“I feel like I can finally breathe again,” Jongho suddenly said, playing with Jongho’s fingers in the water.

“Huh?” Yeosang asked confusedly. _Did Jongho have, like, asthma? Was it the candles?_

“I have spent basically two months unable to really do anything because of how petrified I was that something would happen to you. I knew you were special from the very start, and I very nearly got you or people you love hurt so many times. Now, I have you in my arms, safe, and I don’t have to worry anymore, and the tiredness of that whole thing is all hitting me at once.” Jongho hadn’t given such an extensive speech maybe ever. 

Yeosang was floored. He grabbed Jongho’s hands from where they’d moved to his thighs and held them in his own, bringing them around his waist. 

“I’m able to be here thanks to your excellent guiding and taking care of me,” Yeosang smiled, “thank you for protecting me.”

He sat up a little so he could turn around and kiss Jongho. The guide swiftly picked him up and rotating him so they were facing each other and he was sat on Jongho’s lap. They’d had kisses before, up on the mountain, and even one on the flight back from Lukla. But they’d all been, to varying degrees, defined by the cold. Coldness in the air and coldness from the constant fear that being on a super tall mountain creates. Everything had been quick and fleeting and seemingly on borrowed time, even outside of the Death Zone. 

But _this_ kiss was one they could luxuriate in. It was warm and familiar and lazy and timeless. They didn’t have to be somewhere at a specific time, they didn’t have to constantly check they weren’t about to suffocate, they could just be together. There was no worrying about falling to their deaths. The bath suddenly felt like a protective casing in which they could just be themselves, in love. 

Eventually, after many more kisses and some lazy and unfinished heavy petting, the water cooled and Jongho decided they should move to the bed.

“Not because of _that_ , get your mind out of the gutter, Kang. I’m a classy dude” Jongho had laughed, but his tiredness was palpable.

Yeosang had gotten out the bath by himself, but had been toweled-off and carried back to bed by Jongho, and the man had even fished his PJs out of his suitcase for him. He dressed himself and waited for Jongho to return from emptying the bath. The other man returned in a pair of sleep shorts that he _definitely hadn’t been wearing when he’d arrived._

_Also, no shirt._

“Did you even bring a change of clothes? You were that confident?” Yeosang laughed.

“I can read you like a book, baby” he grinned and crawled into bed, pulling Yeosang half on top of him and securing his arm around Yeosang’s waist. “And, being a mountain guide teaches you it’s always best to be prepared.”

The sunset painted the sky hues of red and pink beyond the (thin and admittedly kinda crappy) curtains. Yeosang felt like they had all the time in the world to just be here with Jongho. For once in his life, he hadn’t thought about the future logistics. Where did Jongho even live? In, like, an RV in a national park? NOt only did Yeosang not have the energy to give a shit about that stuff in that moment, he also somehow knew that things would be okay, no matter what. Jongho’s strong grip around him was reassuring that if a life-or-death situation on a fucking mountain couldn’t separate them, a corporate job or the distance across the United States sure wouldn’t. 

The warm tones of the sky only added to how, well, warm Yeosang felt. Jongho was like a furnace below him, surely exaggerated by his poignant lack of shirt. _Plus, those muscles must have a shit ton of latent heat. Why did Jongho even need a down suit?_ But it was exactly what Yeosang needed in that moment; warmth, safety, and... _love?_

Jongho was gently caressing his waist and playing with his fingers with his other hand, and the repetitive motions were lulling Yeosang into slumber just as he heard a loud noise. He snuggled his head into Jongho’s chest, and thought back to those moments at Camp III, sleeping roped together in those ridiculously thick suits. Somehow, despite the lack of ropes, he felt like they were more solidly connected to each other there in that hotel bed, skin-on-skin, nothing holding them back from sinking into each other, watching the rosy sky out the small hotel window. 

Suddenly, the room door swung open with a slam, ever so slightly ruining their quiet, rosy moment. _Shit, why had Jongho not locked it when he carried Yeosang over to bed?_

Jongho worried for a second until he heard the voice of the intruder. 

“So, I’m in his room, here he is, Sanni- Oh my god! I called it!” Wooyong burst in and squealed at the sight of Yeosang cuddled up with his shirtless mountain guide. 

However, by this point, Yeosang had actually, fully fallen asleep. Despite Wooyoung’s extreme volume. Jongho simply made a shushing gesture with his hand and waved at the random man in the phone, who seemed to be squealing uncontrollably as well. 

“I’ll let you get back to, whatever this was slash is. Just look after him, yeah Jongho?” Wooyoung turned genuine for a second, speaking more quietly in consideration, and squinting his eyes at Jongho in a mediocre attempt to resemble something intimidating.

“Of course. If I could do it up there, I’ll definitely be able to do it down here” Jongho grinned, shooed Wooyoung away, and snuggled closer into his love. 

END

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so so much for reading everyone!! Watch this space for my next fic!
> 
> My Twitter is [@yeosangfroid](https://twitter.com/yeosangfroid), so hit me up there or on [CuriousCat!](https://curiouscat.me/yeosangfroid)


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